All Articles: Comic-Con 2016

Frank West is back, and the developers at Capcom Vancouver don’t have good things to say about him. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. They have plenty of good things to say about him, but more than a few of them also admit that he’s an “***hole.” Like John Amos in Die Hard 2, he’s our kind of ***hole. But after artfully slinging some profanities, the developers get down to the real business of offering the Comic-Con crowd (and now, everyone) a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Dead Rising 4.

They rush through the game’s Willamette Mall setting, as well as examining some of the new weapons, and the three different types of zombies. If you ever wanted to use a slushie machine to flash-freeze a zombie and then smash it to bits with a massive chunk of concrete, Dead Rising 4 might be the game for you.

Dead Rising 4 will be released for the PC and Xbox One as an “Xbox Play Anywhere” title on December 6.

Telltale Games revealed a bit more about The Walking Dead Season 3 during their trip to the San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. Creative Director Dennis Lenart was joined by Melissa Hutchison (the voice actress behind Clementine) held a panel for fans and shared a new poster, new screenshots, and new details on how the third season will play out, including a little about how the two playable characters will interact:

In [the] first shot, you’ll see Javier and Clementine making their way through a walker-infested slaughterhouse. Remember, you’ll be playing as both characters, although you may not be playing each character within the same frame of time…

Lenart also discussed the importance of playing as Javier, and how the team was able to create a character without any prior relationship with Clementine. This will provide an interesting opportunity for players to meet a character they may have helped shape. They’ll also have a chance to play as a survivor fresh to the series, who is currently struggling to keep his family together in the face of the undead apocalypse.

The panelists also discussed the story structure for Season 3 and how it’ll morph depending upon if players are new to the series versus those who have imported their choices from Season 1 and Season 2:

Another unique aspect of this third season is that while it absolutely continues the story of the previous two seasons, it also serves as a new entry point for fans who’ve yet to be caught up to speed. Players starting with this third season will be introduced to young survivor AJ, who fans will recognize as the son of Rebecca from Season Two – and we can confirm that he will be making an appearance in this season as well. So players who are new to the series will have a chance to learn more about Clementine’s backstory, while at the same time, those who have played previous seasons will have a story that’s uniquely tailored to the diverging paths they’ve taken in the past.

The first episode from The Walking Dead Season 3 will be released this Fall, but you can find the new poster and screenshots after the break. (more…)

Injustice: Gods Among Us wasn’t just a hugely successful video game for NetherRealm Studios and WB Games, it was also a very popular weekly digital comic for DC Comics. On Friday, DC announced that they’ve once again hired writer Tom Taylor to produce a weekly digital comic to bridge the gap between Gods Among Us and the upcoming Injustice 2.

“Our overarching goal is to tell one complete story between the comics and the games,” said Taylor. “In writing Injustice 2, there are a lot less ‘Gods Among Us’ than when we started our story, but I hope to join Batman and the world’s finest heroes in cleaning up the mess an evil Superman and his regime left behind. I hope to repair Earth and bring back hope… but this is Injustice. Prepare for tears, comedy, triumph, devastation, shocking tragic twists involving DC’s most beloved characters… and Harley Quinn stealing every scene she’s in.”

The Injustice 2 digital comic will debut in 2017, sometime before the game is released for the PS4 and Xbox One. And speaking of the game, NetherRealm also announced this weekend that Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle will be included as playable characters in Injustice 2.

Marvel is bringing back the Ultimate Alliance series this week. Announced yesterday at Comic-Con, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 will be available to download this Tuesday, July 26, for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Originally released back in 2006 and 2009, respectively, the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series recruited characters from the entire Marvel Universe to save the world in two sprawling co-op action RPGs. Available separately for $39.99 apiece, or bundled together for $59.99, both games will be rebuilt for modern platforms with improved performance and “some UI and graphic enhancements.” While that price might seem steep, Executive Producer Mike Jones wrote on Marvel.com that fans have been asking for this re-release for a while now:

Well, it’s funny; since we started rebuilding our games strategy and going on the road to Comic Cons and gaming events like E3, we’re constantly being asked about Ultimate Alliance. “Are you guys going to do another Ultimate Alliance?” “Can you guys do a re-release of Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2?” It was actually kind of surprising how often it happens. It’s been 10 years since the series began and gamers are still as passionate about “Ultimate Alliance” today as they ever were. So we thought this would be a great way to celebrate an amazing franchise that’s about to hit its 10th anniversary. It’s a perfect time to play these games if you missed them the first time or replay with new friends and new Super Hero dream teams.

Does this re-release mean we might get Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 someday? Jones did his part by telling fans, “Anything is possible.”

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As a member of DC’s “Trinity,” one of the most popular characters from the first Injustice game, and the only universally-praised part of Batman V Superman, it’s not exactly surprising that Wonder Woman will return as a playable character in the sequel.

During their Comic-Con panel last night, NetherRealm also announced that the Blue Beetle (AKA mild-mannered teenager Jaime Reyes) will also appear in Injustice 2. A trailer showcasing both fighters has been embedded above.

Personally, I’m hoping that Conan O’Brien can finally make his Injustice debut in the sequel. He even pulled a Batman earlier this week by using his vast wealth and personal manservant to help him construct an impressive new superhero costume.

NetherRealm’s Ed Boon also revealed during the panel that Supergirl will play an important role in Injustice 2’s story. And for multiplayer fans, Injustice 2 will include a Tournament Mode and make use of the GGPO engine for its netcode.

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime in 2017.

As promised, Sonic Team announced their next Sonic the Hedgehog game during the Sonic 25th Anniversary Party. The untitled game is known internally as Project Sonic, and a short trailer was revealed during the Comic-Con event.

We didn’t learn much about the game, but the video did show Sonic dashing through a post-apocalyptic landscape where he was eventually joined by “Classic Sonic” from Sonic Generations, so we might be looking at a sequel to that game.

Sega promised to announce additional information about Project Sonic “at a later date,” but for now, they’ve confirmed it’ll be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo’s upcoming NX console during the 2017 holiday season.

While we already knew that Sonic Team would talk about their next Sonic game during this year’s Comic-Con convention, Sega had a surprise up their sleeve and also announced a second Sonic game set to debut in 2017.

Co-developed by Sega of America and Pagoda West, and with contributions from Christian Whitehead and Simon “Headcannon” Thomley, Sega Mania is a 2D side-scrolling Sonic game that’ll reimagine familiar levels from Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic and Knuckles. But instead of going full remake, the developers will also create “completely new Zones with all-new Acts, and bosses” for Sonic Mania.

Running with its theme as a celebration of the entire Genesis era, Sonic Mania will also give players the chance to play as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

“Sonic Mania was born out of our fans’ love of the classic Sonic 2D platform games,” said Takashi Iizuka, Head of Sonic Team. “This type of collaboration is a first for Sega and we hope everyone will be both surprised and delighted by this title. Sonic Mania has been a passion project for the entire team and we look forward to sharing more details about it later this year. Having the game actually playable at the event itself tonight was testament to the dedication of the team behind it.”

Sonic Mania will be released in Spring 2017 as a digital download for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One… though Comic-Con attendees will get to try it out this weekend. For the rest of us, the debut trailer embedded above will have to be enough.

Capcom will add another latex-clad ninja to Street Fighter V next week. Beginning on July 26, Juri will be available to download for the game on the PC and PS4.

Introduced in Street Fighter IV, Juri is “a sadistic fighter who enjoys violence and loves tormenting her prey.” She also hates M. Bison and his Shadaloo organization, which has fueled her involvement in the events of Street Fighter V’s recently released Story Mode, “A Shadow Falls.” Available as part of the Season Pass, as a standalone purchase, or for free with Fight Money, the Capcom-Unity blog has the full scoop on Juri’s new fighting style:

About Juri
Juri returns to Street Fighter V with a brand new look and some tricks up her sleeves. A trained expert in Taekwondo, Juri also possesses a ki booster called the Feng Shui Engine equipped in her left eye to aid her during battles. She focuses on flashy, fast and furious kicks, and has a wide range of ki-based attacks at her disposal. Her trademark moves are her ki-based fireball attack and pinwheel kick.

V-Skill: Kasatsushu
Juri builds charges up and rushes at the opponent, kicking them from behind. Juri can choose to charge Kasatsushu by holding down the V-Skill command. During this charge, she can cancel Kasatsushu at any time by inputting a forward or backward dash. Additionally, she maintains her charge level after the cancel.

V-Trigger: Feng Shui Engine Type Alpha
Juri activates the Feng Shui Engine which allows her to cancel all of her standard attacks, both in the air and on the ground, into one another. In addition, each strength of her Fuharenkyaku attacks will remain in their charged state.

Capcom also announced today that three more Premium Summer Costumes (priced at $3.99 apiece) will be available on July 26 for Cammy, Laura, and Ibuki. And if you don’t want to wait until the 26th, fans attending this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con will get the chance to try out Juri and costume these female fighters in new threads at the Street Fighter V booth.